Not By the Strings, Please: A Five Nights at Freddy's 2 Fanfiction
by Stohne Rohse
Summary: Everyone knows Freddy Fazbear and the gang. They know Chica and Foxy and Freddy...but what about the Puppet that hangs out in the Prize Corner? Ever hear about him? Does anyone know his story? Secret fears live within him, and will anyone care? Rated T for violence. DISCLAIMER IN FIRST CHAPTER
1. Nighttime

**_I, Stohne Rohse, pledge that in no way am I claiming ownership, nor that I created the characters MARIONETTE, MANGLE, OLD BONNIE, OLD CHICA, OLD FREDDY, OLD FOXY, BALLOON BOY, TOY FREDDY, TOY CHICA, TOY BONNIE in this story. I will never attempt to claim any monetary value nor financial gain from this story. My purpose for these stories is for writing practice in a peer-reviewed environment and for the enjoyment of the fans and users of this site only. _**

I smiled as amiably as I could as I handed prizes to the last children of the day. They giggled as they accepted their gift and walked away from my box, admiring their cheap plastic masquerading as a toy. I watched them leave, chattering noisily to one another about how Freddy Fazbear's is the best, and how much they love Toy Bonnie and Toy Chica, and how good the pizza is.

Not a word about me. Not a single remark. I wouldn't let it upset me. Not today, at least. Instead, I drew myself lower into my box and cast out my senses to the nearby rooms. I heard the electronic singing of Toy Freddy Fazbear, the sounds of children viciously dismantling Mangle, and the general sounds of happiness and laughing. I smiled wide, making sure the employees in the room wouldn't see. The children were happy. That was all that mattered. Well, it mattered to me at least. I don't know about the other animatronics. After all...I know what they do when everyone goes home. I have known about it for a long time. But I never let it bother me. Not once.

"Alright. Let's shut 'er down," The man at the counter said in a gruff voice as he stood up. I watched his every movement carefully as he locked up the glass cases that held their toys. "Night, puppet." He said graciously, looking back at me as he shut off the lights. As soon as I heard the door close, I quickly retreated to my box. The dark was debilitating, and I felt safe within my metal casket. In the silence of the Prize Corner, I heard noises throughout the place such as Freddy and his gang saying farewell to the children and the men shutting them off for the night.

I knew not the hour, but what I did know is that it would soon be time. The animatronics would soon roam. And I refused to be awake to see it.

When my music began to play, I settled myself in my box and waited to become tired. In the meanwhile, I fiddled with the buttons on my chest and began to sing along with the quiet melody.

"My grandfather's clock was too large for the shelf. So it stood ninety years on the floor. It was taller than half by the old man himself. And it weight not a penny's weight more." I crooned to myself faintly. "It was bought on the morn that my grandpa was born and was always his treasure and pride. But it stopped short never to go again when the old man died..." I sighed, falling into a sense of sweet comatose. I can count on the night guard to keep my lullaby playing. I know I can. I know.

My sleep world was dark, but not like the dark of the restaurant at night. It was like being wrapped in a charcoal-black blanket. It felt safe and it was calming. Throughout my empty mind, the soft tune of the music box played my fears away. Every so often it would stop, and I would hear the frantic cranking of its handle as the night guard rushed to wind it up again in fear of me. Such made my heart ache. Afraid? Of me? It just wasn't fair. Not at all. True, my appearance is rather unnerving, but that shouldn't be a reason to-

Oh, forget it. If that's how they feel, then so be it. I let the thought go quickly and curled up into a tight ball, ready to fast forward to morning until I heard something. No. More precisely, I _stopped_ hearing something. The soft tune that played me to sleep had ceased. I waited patiently, dismissing the matter as a brief obstruction. The night guard must have had something pressing to attend to. A moment passed. Then another. Then another. Still no music box.

I sighed with minor annoyance as I woke myself. Surely the night guard didn't mean to forget about me, but I had to check in on him anyways. Bracing myself to face the darkness, I lifted the lid to my box slightly and peeked out. The Prize Corner was shady, and the camera was currently offline. He really _did_ neglect me. I paused a moment, looking around the Prize Corner and making sure the coast was clear. Nodding once to myself, I pushed the cover of the box completely open and sat up. I wanted to make it clear that I would wait for a few more moments before I would come in there. I wasn't worried. He would come to his senses before then. After all, I've never had to come after anyone before.

I stared at the camera, waiting for the online light to blink on. Nothing happened. The night guard must have gotten careless. I sighed, looking down and beginning to devise an approach. The last thing I wanted to do was frighten the night guard; the others have already done that. Perhaps I should take a logical advance. State my business clearly and inquire why he forgot about me. Yes. That seemed like the best way to go about the situation. But before I could get up to leave, a cold metal hand seized my neck and held me against the wall.


	2. Refurbished and Dismantled

I squeaked, immediately reaching my hands to scratch at the iron claw that had me in a chokehold. I wanted to scream _let me go, let me go_ but I held my tongue in fear of provoking my attacker. I thrashed for awhile before the hand clenched tighter, and my body went still. When my eyes finally stopped darting, I saw two red glows directly in front of me. I immediately recognized the worn down face as one of the old animatronics left to rot in the parts and service room.

"B-Bonnie!" I chuckled uneasily. "I certainly didn't expect to see you tonight..."

The broken animatronic kept an ominous silence.

"Uh hum...would you mind...l-letting me go?" I asked as civilly as I could muster with a shaky voice. Just a moment upon hearing me say those words, Bonnie let out a electronic drone of fury. He drew me away from the wall, then shoved me backwards immediately after. I yelped with pain as my frail and skinny body was mistreated in such a fashion.

"W-w-w-well he-e-ey-y-y the-ere, p-p-p-p-puppet." A glitchy female voice stuttered from the doorway. I forced my gaze out of Bonnie's only to see Chica standing behind him, grinning at me with a mouth full of warped metal. I whimpered, flashing a frightened smile at her. I would keep my courteous attitude no matter what happened. No matter what. The old animatronic giggled, then pointed what used to be her arm at me, swinging the limp cords into Bonnie as she did.

"Y-y-y-you go-t c-cau-ght didn't you? W-w-why are you awake, huh? D-di-d y-y-you-r-r mus-ic bo-x stop-p or some-thin-g-g-g?" Chica's voice sounded like static as she spoke to me, her vocalizations distorted and barely lucid. These animatronics really are in a state of disrepair, aren't they?

"Yes. Yes, it did. I was...just off to see what the holdup was...in the...security office." I trailed off as I became more and more disturbed by the way Chica was staring at me with her pink eyes cut wide. To my confused dismay, both the animatronics let out a cacophonous laugh that sounded more like someone put shards of glass and rocks in a blender.

"Oh-h-h, l-l-l-littl-e-e to-o-oy. So-o-o na-ai-ve..." Chica taunted. I said nothing, fearing what the broken chicken would say next.

"Th-h-he n-night-t-t guard-d-d is n-no-t-t play-ing y-o-our mus-i-ic becau-se he's d-d-dead." Chica snickered. My whole body sprang to life at those few words and I managed to thrash some more.

"W-what!? D-dead!?" I shrieked, facing only Chica. Behind me, I heard the confused and furious grunting of Bonnie as he reasserted his grip on my thin body to prevent me from escaping.

"Y-y-y-yup! D-d-d-dea-a-a-ad!" Chica cackled, the metal in her mouth shuddering as she laughed. Dead? He can't be! The night guard-!

"Why is he dead?! What did you do?!" I cried, fearing the worst for the poor human adult that had fallen prey to these evil robots.

"Foxy and I shoved him into a costume." A deep, electronic voice burbled as the idol of the restaurant stepped into the Prize Corner. At least, he used to be the idol. Behind him stepped in Foxy, who had the red fluid that oozed out of humans when they were hurt dripping down off his hook and teeth. My eyes widened.

"You did _what?!_" I exclaimed, reaching my hands up to my throat to make another attempt at freeing myself, but an eerie growl from Bonnie warned me not to.

"Why do ye care, puppet? After all...he was just a human." Foxy said, his face twitching violently every so often.

"_Just_ a _human?!_" I cried, appalled at the words that escaped the pirate fox's broken jaw.

"Well, we could always just call him an endoskeleton that needed a suit, can't we?" Freddy chimed in. The animatronics surrounding him let out a spine-chilling chuckle.

"That's not fair! Not even in the slightest! You're...you're brutes! Hoodlums! Scoundrels!" I began flowing out foul language at the robots without even thinking about it. I was frustrated at myself for such slang, but I was so distressed I couldn't stop myself from telling these bots off. The animatronics simply looked at each other and laughed again.

"Aye, matey, ye sure got me with that last one. I...I just might cry..." Foxy pretended to be hurt by my words. I clenched my fists, bothered beyond comprehension. I was completely helpless, and nothing I said could bring them down at all. Freddy was the only one not laughing.

"Actually, I'm pretty mad right now. You don't get to call us names, little doll." Freddy spoke in a baritone voice before he stepped forward to glare me down. I shrank back, only to feel the wall behind me. Freddy stared at me for a moment before he said a single phrase that made my heart sink. "Take him to the Kid's Cove."

At this point, I was ready to try and rip out my own throat just to escape what they were about to do. I was terrified of the other rooms of the restaurant at night. But the Kid's Cove?! Everyone knew that was where Mangle slept. Her name sent shivers down my spine. _Mangle_. I knew why she was called that. A mass of twisted metal shaped into something only a child could imagine. What would she do to me?!

"G-g-g-g-grea-a-a-t idea-a-a, Fr-r-reddy!" Chica complimented, glancing at Bonnie. "C'mon, l-l-l-l-let's g-g-get-t-t him th-th-there, Bonnie-e-e-e!"

The dismantled purple bunny said nothing and simply nodded. Then, I felt an awful sensation as Bonnie and Chica dragged me down the hall into the wall of darkness. We passed by the balloon room where Balloon Boy stood staring at me with a sad expression. I gave him a pained look, hoping he would step up to help me, but he did not move, for he was too afraid of the old animatronics. I don't blame him.

When we reached the Kid's Cove, I caught only a brief glance of Mangle before I was thrown up on the wall and hung on one of the hooks that the children use to hold up their odd skin covers.

"There ya go. That should hold ya. See ya tomorrow, puppet!" Freddy sneered in my face with breath that smelled of rot and blood before he followed the other originals out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them. I watched them leave as I hung there pitifully, feeling the soothing tune of the music box fade into forgotten memory. I could not move, for the pain in my back was crippling. If I could cry, I would. I would cry and cry and cry, not caring who saw. Maybe if they saw it, they would understand my part of the story. But no. No one ever cared about 'lil old Marionette. Not ever.

A raucous clanking in the room startled me into a near scream. I thrashed my arms and legs about futilely. Mangle was here. She was going to kill me! I smacked the air with my feeble hands, and to my slight satisfaction, my flailing had hit something cold and metal in the area in front of me. I had landed a successful strike. But when I heard the voice that came after, I froze.

"OW!" Cried a scratchy, feminine voice. I tilted my head. "What was that for?!" The voice growled. Then I heard more clattering, but this time it was louder and directly in front of me. A single blue glow appeared in front of me. _Mangle_. I readied myself for a scream, hoping one of the other Toys would come to help me. Or Balloon Boy at the least. Someone. Anyone. Before I could even open my mouth, Mangle spoke again.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Don't you want help?" The voice questioned. My heart skipped. Help? Me? But...I thought you wanted to...

"O-oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." I instinctively began to apologize, attempting to bow my head but immediately recoiling. The pain was too great. "Aight, aight. That's enough, puppet. Don't move, I'll get you down." The voice insisted as frigid steel gripped my back and lifted me slowly off the hook. I sighed in relief. The pain evaporated.

"Better, right?" The voice sighed as my vision brightened slightly. I stopped my body from trembling as I looked up at her. An upon seeing her watching me with a concerned expression, I immediately felt guilty for hitting her. She didn't want to kill me. Oh, how could I have been so foolish for thinking so! I mentally kicked myself.

"Mangle...I...I am so sorry...I was scared and I didn't mean to hit you in the...face..." I paused before saying the word face as I knew what she had barely qualified as a face. But I could never say that. Not to a female of all things. To my confusion, Mangle's expression clouded with sadness and her blue glow dimmed.

"Mangle..." She echoed, looking down at herself sadly.

"Th-that's your name, right? Mangle?" I asked, rubbing my hands uncomfortably.

"That's just what _they_ call me. I wanted to be called Floofa or Fuzzy or at least Toy Foxy...but..." Mangle sighed, her various metal parts squeaking as she moved. I watched her, sharing her unhappiness.

"Would...would you rather me call you Floofa, then?" I asked, tilting my head.

"No, puppet. Against the rules. They'd come after you if you did that." Mangle responded quickly, motioning with her endoskeleton head towards the door.

"Right...rules." I sighed, looking down at the floor. The room was silent for a moment before the female Foxy spoke again.

"Why'd they drag you in here?" She asked, looking at me with both of her heads.

"I...don't know." I answered honestly. Such _was_ the truth. I had no idea why I was mistreated by the old animatronics. Perhaps they didn't get along with us new animatronics. After all, we _are_ in better condition than a group of bots said to be refurbished. But I shouldn't boast. After all, it's not their fault.

"Ya don't know? Well, I _guess_ that's an answer. Here's another. Why don't you go back to your Prize Corner? I thought you didn't like the dark." Mangle questioned, shifting her twisted body slightly, making a shrill scraping noise as she did.

"I can't. They'll just drag me back here." I said, looking up at the camera in the corner of the room. It was dead, just like the night guard. Hopefully a new one is hired before tomorrow night.

"I guess you're right, puppet." Mangle sighed. I frowned at the word as I hugged my long legs close to my body and waited, never taking my eyes off the door. The sun would soon rise, and the establishment would be greeted first thing with the stench of death in the security office. An hour passed in silence, and it seemed like the night would never end.

I glanced over at Mangle, who sat miserably on the floor with her parts a mess all around her. Just looking at her made my heart hurt. To be so neglected...it was pitiable. Knowing who she really was forced me to wish the establishment took better care of her. She didn't deserve this. But it was no use staring. I had to say _something_ to her. Anything to make her feel better.

"Do the children have fun in Kid's Cove?" I asked her. Mangle looked up weakly.

"I...suppose so. Tearing me apart, you mean?" She asked sullenly. A pang of regret hit me like a dart. That wasn't particularly the best thing to say, now was it?

"That's...not what I meant, Mangle. You know that, right? I mean...don't you like seeing them happy?" I asked, tilting my head. Mangle cracked a crooked smile.

"Yeah. I guess it's kinda nice. Even though it hurts, it's refreshing to see them smiling." Mangle responded. I returned the grin.

"They always seem happy when they come to the Prize Corner. Jolly and laughing..." I said wistfully, staring up at the camera. Mangle perked up.

"You're from Prize Corner?" She asked me quickly. I flinched uneasily at her sudden outburst.

"Y-yes." I answered slowly. Mangle smiled a toothy smirk.

"Your room. The music. I hear it every night from in here." Mangle said. I tilted my head.

"The music box? Well...er...the night guard plays it for me all night every night so I can sleep," I explained, fiddling with my buttons so I could avoid looking at her. "It makes me feel less scared."

Mangle's second head moved slightly, squeaking loudly as it did.

"I see. That's kinda nice, ain't it? It helps me sleep when I'm in too much pain to sleep on my own. And if it doesn't work, I walk around the place and sometimes visit the night guard." Mangle explained. My heart sank. What did she mean by visit?

"Visit?" I echoed suspiciously. Mangle snapped her gaze on me with an alarmed expression.

"N-not aggressively, of course! I come in and watch him in the hallway. I never get close, I promise!" Mangle admitted swiftly. I settled down. Still not violent. Good.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I truly am." I said. Then a strange noise went off somewhere in one of the other rooms. A peaceful but short tune played, then went off quickly. I glanced at Mangle to see if she had any kind of reaction, for I knew not what the music signaled. I tilted my head slightly. She looked sad.

"Six," She murmured. "Night's over."

I perked up. The night was over. I could go back to the Prize Corner. Sitting up, I headed towards the door and peeked out. In the hallway, I saw each of the Toys heading back to the stage. It was true. Another day was to begin. Before I could leave, Mangle spoke up in a sorrowful voice.

"Puppet?" I turned around to face her. "Would you...come back tomorrow night? I...get lonely..." Mangle asked quietly, looking down at the floor. I tilted my head. Was she wanting to be my friend? Would I really go out of my way to leave the Prize Corner to visit her in the night? Well...I suppose there's no harm done. After all, it'll just be this once.

"Certainly." I nodded once. Mangle smiled weakly.

"Thanks, puppet. Er...Marionette." Mangle whispered as she crawled back to her corner, ready to begin another day of torture. Nodding one more time, I walked out of the Kid's Cove and began down the hallway back to the Prize Corner. Taking realization of what had just happened, my spirits soared.

She had called me by my name.


	3. I'm Not a Puppet

"Mommy, come on, hurry up! We got to get to the Prize Corner!" A child's voice startled me from my dazed state.

"Alright, dear. Just don't drop your tickets." A woman's voice scolded. I grinned widely. Another child comes to claim their prize. I heard the man count the tickets, then I heard excited footsteps, then I heard a hollow knocking on my box.

"Come out, come out! I want some candy!" The child said, banging on my box. My smile faded.

This child...spoiled...insatiable...this was always the worst part of my day. There was always a handful of children like this, and it made me sad to see the others go along with it like they have no other choice. Not that they do, of course...just...it's the worst possible thing to have to deal with at this place in the day.

Around the clanging of the child's fist, I heard Pop Goes the Weasel playing and I heard the employee in the room tell the child again and again to be patient or to stop hitting the box or to wait for me to wake up. The child didn't listen, and I was quickly losing my patience. I put my hands on my ears and tried to muffle the horrid sound. Something in my heart clattered about, making me feel stuck in two different emotions. Anger...it was rising...but I couldn't let it out. I couldn't.

It's almost over, the song is almost over, then I can give him his prize, and he'll leave...it'll be okay. And when Pop Goes the Weasel made its final verse, the child said five words that snapped my self-control like a toothpick.

"Come on, you stupid puppet!"

The world around me stood still, and when I was ejected from the box, I couldn't hold myself back.

"I AM NOT A PUPPET!" I shrieked, holding my hands above my head aggressively. Everyone in the room froze, their eyes wide with sudden terror. Then, all my emotions faded into shock as I realized what I had just done. Then, the child looked up at me, and his eyes filled with tears. My heart broke immediately at the sight. I had made a child cry. I shrank back into my box, holding my hands close to me, thanking my lucky stars I didn't hurt anyone. Piercing sobs shattered the silence in the room. The mother immediately rushed to comfort the distraught child by throwing her arms around him and looking backwards at the employee with a angry expression.

I looked between the humans a few times, hearing the mother rant off about how terrible I am and how the child won't be able to sleep tonight, and how she's never going to come back here. In retaliation, the man explained to her that this has never happened before and that they'll make sure that the problem is dealt with accordingly. I gasped at hearing him say that. Problem? I...I just...well...see where I'm coming from here! That child called me a puppet! If you were being called a puppet, what would you do?!

The mother ranted a bit more before she gave a big "F you" to the entire establishment, then stomped out the door with her child's hand firmly grasped in her own. I felt ready to cry. I didn't mean to, I really didn't. After just a few moments, two other men came into the Prize Corner asking the employee what the ruckus was.

"Old puppet there blew up at that kid." The employee said, taking off his hat and rubbing his brow. The two men glanced over at me with a suspicious expression, then resumed their questioning. I didn't want to hear them. I had no more room in my heart for more insults and neglect. Shutting myself out of everything, I curled up in my box and waited. Waited for everyone to leave. Waited for the sun to set. Waited for my music box.

Hours passed, and no more children came into the Prize Corner. The employee in the room must have sensed my grief, and so he left me alone.

When the day finally ended, the employee said nothing as he went home for the night, shutting the door quietly behind him. Darkness crept into my box faster than I could realize, and it made me feel even worse. It was all my fault. All my fault. Then I heard a harsh cranking noise as my melody began to play. I immediately began to recover from my depression. I shifted my body into a more comfortable position, and closed my eyes. A new night guard must have came. I sighed with relief. Maybe if I fell asleep with my music tonight, I would feel a lot better tomorrow. Maybe the child would come back so I could tell him I didn't mean to and I was sorry. Maybe I could give him an extra special present and we could be friends again.

I stopped myself. _Friends_. What did that remind me of? I went through every recent event. Past the waiting and sorrow, past my unsolicited outburst, to last night. No. Wait a moment. Last night. _Mangle_. I promised I would visit her. I sighed, not wanting to have to leave. No. I'm going to. A promise is a promise. I opened my box lid and leaned it against the wall. Looking around, I was extra observant. Just to make sure those other animatronics weren't stalking me again. Then I looked up at the camera. It was currently online. Which meant the night guard was looking at me.

I thought a moment, then decided to be amiable. I smiled wide and waved up at the little red light. The camera immediately went offline. Hmm. Peculiar. Perhaps he wasn't in the mood. Shaking my head, I climbed out of my box and stood up straight. It wasn't often I got to stand up and walk around, and doing so made me feel like I had heavy weights strung around my ankles and wrists. I took a shaky step forward and nearly tripped over myself. Another step. Another wobble. Another step. Another wobble. I was doing better than I thought. Before I even knew it, I was standing in front of the Prize Corner door.

I pressed my hands against it and gave it a push. The door swung open without a hitch. I had to stifle a light yip of joy. I felt so much like one of the others, and it was pleasing to know I could do everything they could do. But then again, if I was like them, why didn't anyone acknowledge me? I stopped myself. No. No. You can't get all depressed now, Marionette. Not right now.

Stepping into the hallway, I looked both ways to make sure there wasn't any animatronics coming. It was no use. It was too dark to see. I sighed, then decided to wing it. I stepped out into the open and headed off towards the Kid's Cove. When I reached the door, I heard a strange noise from within before I could push the door open. I pressed the side of my head against it softly to get a better understanding of this strange noise.

It sounded like static. Sad static. Almost like...crying. Was Mangle crying? I shook my head. I would find out soon enough. Pressing the door open gently, I poked my head in and looked around. Not seeing anything but darkness, I spoke out, only to hear my voice echo back.

"Mangle? Are you there?" The crying ceased.

"Marionette. You're back." Mangle's voice was cracked with misery.

"Didn't I say I would?" I said, sitting on the floor in front of the door. Mangle looked down, her parts rattling noisily as she did.

"Thank you, Marionette. I appreciate it." She said quietly. I tilted my head, sweeping my eyes over her quickly.

"You look different tonight. The children dress you up?" I asked her, meaning it more as a joke than a serious observation.

"Of course. Every day." Mangle said, not grasping the point of my joke. I sighed, putting my hands in my lap.

"Right. Sorry. I...I was joking with you." I apologized. Mangle looked up at me, her blue eye clanking noisily in her metal skull as if it would roll out at any moment.

"I heard about the incident in the Prize Corner." She said. I sat up quickly.

"You...You did?" I asked uneasily, starting to fidget tensely. Did word get out? Damn...I was hoping it wouldn't...Mangle nodded once.

"Yeah. You shouted out at some kid, huh? Why did you do that? _How_ did you do that?" Mangle asked me, her ears perked.

"He...He...called me puppet...and I...lost it...and...look, I don't want to talk about it." I murmured, glancing off to the side.

"I can't believe you were brave enough to do it. Honestly, I can't. You don't have any idea how many times a day I want to get up and bite some kid's brain out. But you...you took it to the next level. That's crazy!" Mangle said, her voice a scratchy chuckle.

I gave her a sad look.

"I don't feel proud of myself..." I said quietly, curling my slim body close. Mangle shook her head, drawing sparks from parts that rubbed too close together.

"At least you didn't kill anyone, right?" Mangle said. I flinched at the word kill.

"I...suppose so..." I mumbled. Mangle sighed, walking to me and sitting beside me with a cacophony of loud scraping.

"Hey. Come on. If I know kids, he probably had it coming. After all, you have a name. They should know it." Mangle tried to brighten the moment. And I must admit, she was succeeding. Every word perked me up a bit. I smiled.

"Thank you, Mangle. It...means a lot to me." I said, looking up at her. She tilted her head, and her eye rolled to the side in her socket.

"Of course."


	4. The Bite

I awoke to the sound of jingling keys and low murmuring. My limbs were stiff, and I could not force myself to move. It was too comfortable. I heard the door open, then footsteps, then the light sound of their fingers getting a grip on my box. When my box lid was opened, my eyes were assaulted by light. The sudden beam hurt my eyes, but I wasn't allowed to move in the daytime or risk being scrapped. Without showing signs of life, I scanned each of the three men that had come and opened my box. Three employees.

The men stared at me, and I stared back, keeping my "inside the box" pose. They stared and stared and stared, until a voice from behind caused them to step back to allow another man in a night guard's uniform to step up.

A different set of staring eyes came upon me that made me shift my fingers uncomfortably. The oddly alive green pearls stuck in his skull stared at me with a suspicious look for a long while. My sensory was overloaded with his apprehension as he watched me charily. It felt as if someone had dropped a heavy weight on me. It was _suffocating_.

"Er...Jeremy-?" One of the other men spoke. The night guard turned his head. "I think you might have been hallucinating. That one don't move unless it's music box goes out." The man explained. The night guard glared at him dubiously.

"No. I swear, I saw it move. It looked right at me!" The guard exclaimed. The men shook their heads.

"I dunno, Jeremy. If it happens again, maybe we'll look into it. For now, there's nothing we can do. Go home, get some sleep, and we'll take it from here." One of the men said, pointing at the door. The guard waited a moment before he turned his head backwards to glance at me one more time before he stomped out of the room.

"Poor guy. I'd never take the night shift in this place." One of the men sighed as he closed my box lid. The darkness filed back into the enclosed space as I heard footsteps then the closing of the door.

They were talking about me. Did I get the night guard in trouble? I certainly hope not. After all, I didn't know trying to be friendly had consequences. Well, now I know. I won't do it again.

In one of the other rooms, an animatronic's voice spoke up, signaling a new day.

"Hey, everyone! And welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza! So let's strike up the band! One...two..." Toy Freddy's voice sounded out. Then there was singing. Followed by cheering. Followed by laughing. My hollow body filled with a warm feeling. It certainly sounded like fun. All that music and partying and eating. All I ever got to do was give the children gifts. Never got to see what goes on in the other rooms during the day. But that doesn't mean I want to quit my job. I'm just as important as any of them. Aren't I?

Yes. Yes, I am. After all, what would Freddy Fazbear's be without prizes? It was like the foundation of a building. Take away one part, the whole thing falls down. It was a good philosophy to live by. At least I think so.

I sighed to myself, listening closely for the sounds of someone approaching. I wouldn't repeat yesterday. I promised myself I wouldn't.

Moments became minutes. Minutes became hours. No one came. I wouldn't let it dispirit me. Maybe the ticket machines were out of order. That's a possibility, isn't it? Or maybe the games were broken. Or maybe the men that printed the tickets were off today. I kept leading myself back to the same end with a different possibility. No one was going to come. I forced a smile and continued to wait, only able to keep myself happy by listening to the sounds of the laughing children and the songs of the Freddy Fazbear gang.

Hours and hours and hours went by, and it seemed like I had been waiting a full year. Never before have I felt so abandoned here in the day. It was like I had been forsaken. Forsaken by those who once were my friends. At least I _think_ we were friends. The children always seemed to like to see me. They would come in smiling with bundles of tickets in their small fists. They would give their valueless paper to the employee, wind up my box, and I would pop out with their rewards in my hands. They would always laugh. Every time. It was something I could count on.

Maybe I had ruined it for myself. Maybe people will stop coming. Maybe my purpose will die. Maybe they'll stop making money off me. Maybe they'll take away the Prize Corner. Maybe they'll _scrap me!_

My heart began to race. The realization came upon me so quickly. _Too_ quickly. It was too abrupt. It...it can't happen. What would I do? I would break down...my heart would shatter. No one would like me anymore. No more laughing. No more children. No more smiles. My hands began to tremble. It would be dark all the time. I'd be alone. Derelict and mistreated. I wouldn't feel safe anymore. No more sanctuary. No more music box. I would fall into disrepair and be like the others. It would be over. I would fade from existence in the snap of someone's fingers.

I pressed my shivering hands to my cheeks and felt about for tears. There were none. There should be some. My heart was crushed. I _wanted_ to cry. I wanted to cry a long, doleful sob. Maybe everyone would know how I felt if they heard. Maybe they'd understand me as something more than a plaything. A doll. A puppet.

Then, a terrible shrieking almost made me claw into my own eyes. There was a rapid shuffling immediately after.

"What in the world?!" The employee in the room exclaimed. Shuffling. Footsteps. Slamming. Screaming. Something was very wrong. Putting my sorrow to the side, I threw the lid open and darted my gaze around warily. The employee had left the door wide open, giving me a perfect view of the hallway. A river of horrified children ran down the halls, followed by their terrified mothers and fathers, followed by alarmed employees. More screaming.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" A woman's voice screeched from one of the other rooms. It made my ears ring.

"CLEAR OUT! EVERYONE CLEAR OUT!" A man's voice shouted.

"THAT THING IS A DEMON! YOU HEAR ME?! A DEMON!" The woman's voice shouted between sobs. I could not pinpoint where these voices were coming from. And god, did it bother me. I needed to know just what happened and where. It was nagging me so terribly, and knowing I couldn't leave to investigate made it worse. All I can do is listen.

Screaming. Sobbing. Shouting.

A mess of different emotions. Rage. Sorrow. Grief. It was painful to listen to. In my background sensory, I heard the sirens of help vehicles used by the men and women rushing towards the restaurant. It had been a long time since I had heard them, and if I remember correctly, the issue that had summoned them was simply a carousel accident. This certainly sounded like no accident.

I watched the door as a group of men in white and red outfits dashed down the hall dragging a white bed on wheels behind them. Not even a minute later, the same men ran down the halls again with the same white bed. Except this time, a child lay upon the bed, his skull bloody and crushed. A weeping mother followed close behind, his claret on her hands. Long after the child was taken back outside, the image still burned brightly in my mind. It made me dizzy. A child was hurt. Perhaps beyond repair. Would he die? Could he be saved? Thinking about it made me sick.

After I heard the skidding of tires outside, there was silence. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. The world was locked in stillness. I waited and waited and waited, all the way to the point where the lights automatically shut off and engulfed the place in darkness. The employees must have left. I could walk now. I needed to see what happened.

Slowly and quietly, I stepped out of my box and began towards the door. When I reached it, another sound besides that of my own shaky breathing made me freeze. I sharpened my hearing down to the single sound, wanting to pinpoint this foreign noise.

Crying. Electronic crying. _Static_ electronic crying. _It couldn't be..._

At this I ran. Out the door and down the hall as quickly as I could, stopping in the doorway to the Kid's Corner. And what I saw made my heart skip.

Mangle lay upon the floor with her hands on her face, and her teeth coated with fresh crimson blood.

_Hey there to everyone who's still here reading this! I just wanna say, thanks so much for reading this! And I just want to let you all know, I've decided to include a bit of pairing between Mangle and Marionette! So stay tuned on this for that, because I'll have it ready very soon! ~Stohne Rohse_


	5. The Night Guard

"M-M-M-M-M-!" I spluttered, my hands immediately beginning to shudder. I meant to say Mangle. But no words would escape my mouth. Mangle looked up, her only eye cracked with so much sadness that it made my heart twinge. When she saw me, her eyes widened.

"Marionette! I-I-I didn't-!" She attempted to lie. But I knew better. She couldn't hide the confirmation from me. That child was hurt, and she was the reason why. Mangle stuttered for a moment longer before she stopped and her eyes returned to their mournful looks. She had given up on me. After all, I must appear to be horror-struck.

She bit that child! I have full right to be afraid of her! But...then again...she was so sad. To have to spend every day here in this room while the children gleefully dismember her. She had to expel her anger _somehow_. Otherwise it would destroy her mentally. I understand why she couldn't let that happen. But then again, the others deal with something similar and they haven't hurt _anyone!_

And now I was stuck between two different emotions. Fear and sympathy. These gave me only two choices. I could flee. Or I could stay. I knew not what to do. What would be the right thing? To leave her behind and never abscond the Prize Corner. I could go back to the way things were and never be afraid again. Or I could chose the other way. To keep a friend. My _only_ friend.

But I was _terrified_ of her. She was like them, now. Violent. Unstable. Dangerous. There was no telling what she would do. If she ever got angry with me...it would be over. But maybe if I stayed, we could be friends. If I was understanding towards her, maybe she wouldn't get mad at me ever. Maybe I could change her.

But what if I couldn't? What if her influence made _me _violent? My thoughts froze. I had a point there. Influence _was_ a possibility. _No_. I _wouldn't_ be like her. I would flee.

Taking one last look at the blood on her fangs, I whirled around, ready to take off down the halls and into my box. I couldn't let myself be like her. I couldn't. I wasn't fleeing for myself, I was fleeing for the night guard. For the restaurant. For the children.

Taking off into a rapid scurry, I faintly heard the grief-stricken cries of Mangle behind me. Before I could get anywhere close to my Prize Corner, I smashed into something heavy and metal directly in front of me.

I fell backwards, and staggering waves of blunt pain shot through every part of me at once. Before I could recover myself, something sharp pierced the fabric on my back and lifted me up off the floor.

I screamed almost immediately. It was excruciating. It felt like my back would be ripped away if I was held here any longer.

"Aye! Puppet! Shut yer pie hole!" A familiar pirate-accented voice growled from behind me.

"Great going, Foxy. You managed to wake up everyone in the entire place." Freddy's voice burbled. Now I really wanted to cry.

It was the old animatronics again. Here to hurt me again. I wanted to insult them. I wanted to say something that would make them leave me alone. But I couldn't. My mouth wouldn't make any other noises but whimpers and cries. I'm such a coward.

"H-h-h-hey-y-y-y! C-c-c-c'mon-n, Freddy-y-y-y! At le-e-e-ast he caught-t-t h-h-hi-i-im, right-t-t?" Chica's voice giggled.

"Aye, mate. What ye be doin' outside yer Prize Corner? Ye be tresspassin'..." Foxy growled, his electronic breathing brushing my cheek. I looked backwards at him, my eyes screwed up against the pain.

"W-what do you mean? I'm not trespassing..." I panted, wholeheartedly confused by what the pirate fox was telling me. My pained whisper immediately aroused a tumult of furious growls.

"No, puppet! You don't understand! This isn't your turf! You don't belong here!" Freddy snarled, displaying the endoskeleton jaws that stuck out of his mouth. I tilted my head.

"D-don't belong here?" I echoed, looking up at the original Freddy Fazbear. The animatronic gave me a sickening glower.

"We're the originals. _We_ should be the ones running this place! You and all them toys are the ones who should be scrapped. The kids love _us!_" Freddy snarled, getting ominously close to my face. Foxy lifted me higher, giving me a perfect view of all the evil robots standing around me.

"You an all yer little friends 'ave costed us everything." The orange fox hissed, his face twitching violently. Then all my pain melted into wrath. That isn't true! They know it isn't true and I know it isn't true! They're lying! _No._ I shouldn't hold my tongue. I need to speak!

"You don't care about the children! You've never cared about the children! You _killed_ the night guard!" I retorted quickly, trying to thrash about despite the spikes of pain that rose up every time I moved. All the animatronics froze.

"Wh-wh-wh-what-t-t-t did you j-j-ju-u-st-t say?" Chica asked in a grim tone. I looked straight at her, and instead of cringing away in fear, I sent a stone-cold defiant stare straight into her wide, pink eyes. I couldn't help but praise myself. But as soon as I saw Bonnie, my bravery shattered. The faceless purple bunny approached me slowly, with his red eyes glowing bright. His fists were clenched.

"Aye, mate. Ye be crossin' into perilous waters," Foxy threatened. I could hear his metal teeth click amongst each other. "and we be the sharks."

As soon as those words parted the fox's lethal jaws, all the animatronics sprang towards me with their metal hands extended and their steel teeth bared. Several pairs of claws grasped me at once and I felt myself be lifted up off Foxy's hook then fall to the floor.

Standing over me were the yellow, red, pink, and blue glowing eyes of the animatronics as they all seized me at once. It felt as if their claws would rip the thin fabric from my body. Like they would rip me limb from limb. I screamed, but then felt a steel hand clasp my mouth shut. My arms were pulled tight away from my body, and a hand grasped the back of my neck. I tried to break away, but was instead pulled tighter. My eyes darted about from Foxy to Chica to Freddy to Bonnie. They all had a malicious look in their cold eyes.

"Let's take him to the night guard." Freddy sneered. The animatronics all nodded, then I felt myself be heaved into motion. They dragged me down the hall, and we passed by Toy Bonnie on the way. The toy animatronic gave me a thoughtful look, as if he wanted to help, but a harsh glare from the other Bonnie immediately sent him scurrying for cover.

Eventually, we reached the central hallway. At the end of the dark corridor, I saw the doorway to the security office. The room was well lit, and the night guard was obliviously checking his cameras. Little did he know there were four evil robots standing in front of his door with malicious intent. But little did _I_ know why they brought _me_ here.

"W-wh-wh-what n-now-w-w, Freddy-y-y?" Chica asked, not taking her wide stare off me. Freddy said nothing, and instead pushed the other animatronic's claws off me, then planted his own claws on my shoulders.

"Good luck." He whispered in my ear, then shoved me forward into the office. I yelped, tripping over my long legs and face planting in the doorway of the office. I heard the animatronics snicker behind me, and the frightened gasp of the night guard in front of me. I stood up slowly, then found myself staring into the eyes of the night guard. Again, I was mystified by the green pearls that sparkled with life, unlike the cold glows of the robots I'm used to.

"Wh-what are you doing in here?!" The night guard exclaimed. I tilted my head. It was different to hear a human's voice in the night. It sounded more...real. More animate. A complete contrast to the electronic droning of the animatronics.

"Get out! Get out!" The man shouted, blinking the beam of his flashlight at me. I watched his movements with interest at how they were smooth and not accompanied by any creaks or groans of metal. I took a step forward, wanting to get a closer look. The man gasped.

"S-stay away!" The man yelled, waving his hands at me. I stepped closer, holding my hands behind my back. The night guard froze, then snatched the Freddy mask off his desk and shoved it onto his face. I stopped. He was trying to trick me with the mask? Doesn't he know that the mask doesn't fool anything in this restaurant?

I shook my head then took another step forward. I wanted to make it clear that I wasn't a threat. The night guard let out a frightened yelp, then backed into the wall. I lifted a hand to my chest and gave a smile. Then I took another step.

This time, the man didn't let out a scared yelp or scream. Instead, he let out a shout of wrath. The man charged forward at me with random ferocity, holding his flashlight over his head. This sudden hostility threw me off guard. I tried to duck, but instead I felt the blunt end of the flashlight clout me in the head.

Then, a flare of wrath arose in me, and that was the last thing I felt before I blacked out.


	6. A Kill Of My Own

I awoke with a horrendous pain in my head. My body was cold, and the room was dark. I subconsciously reached a hand up to my face and felt about. My three long fingers snaked up the smooth porcelain of my face, and I eventually found a shallow dent.

Touching it sent another wave of pain through my body. I sucked in a shaky breath, and forced myself up. Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself in the security office. I ceased movement, remembering what had happened previously in the night.

I cast out my hearing for any signs of life, and only heard the shuffling of the toy animatronics in another room. No breathing. No heartbeat. I looked around for a few more moments before I forced myself to my feet. Once I was standing steadily, a strange sensation on my body made me freeze. I looked down at myself, then took a small step forward. My body felt wet. No. Not exactly wet. _Sticky_. Yes. My body felt sticky. But why?

I reached a hand down to my chest and pressed into the fabric. And just as a sponge leaks when you squeeze it, a strange red fluid leaked out of my cloth skin. What was this mystery substance? I drew two fingers through the liquid that had pooled up on my body and held it to my eyes. It emitted a sour but familiar smell. It almost seemed like blood.

I stopped and snickered to myself. That was preposterous. This isn't blood. It couldn't be blood. The only way this would be blood if a human was severely hurt. And I would never hurt anyone. It's not what I was built for. No. This isn't blood. This must be a case of cherry juice that spilled...or something. It was going to be a pain to get this off my body, but oh well. I don't have anything better to do.

I looked backwards at the doorway to the office. Was it safe to leave? I swept my eyes over the wall of darkness in the doorway for the colored glows of the old idol's eyes, but found only the darkness of the hallway. They had gone. I could leave.

Stretching my arms, I took a step forward towards the door. Then something in the corner of my eye stopped me dead in my tracks. I nervously turned my head to investigate, and as soon as I saw what it was, I felt my body go cold.

The night guard lay in a pool of blood in the left corner of the room with his throat and eyes torn out. Those beautiful, alive green pearls were gone. And that smooth, flowing, human voice was gone, too.

_It couldn't be._

_It wasn't._

_It's not real._

_I'm hallucinating._

I did this. I killed the night guard. I let myself get out of control. I...I can't believe it. I'm like them now. I'm a murderer. A killer. A monster.

I looked down at my body. My lean, black body was saturated with the life-blood of an innocent human. I wish he was still alive. I wish he was still breathing so I could tell him how sorry I was. I wish I knew how to work the human devices so I could summon their help vehicles. Maybe they could save him. No. It was hopeless. He was dead and there was nothing I could do about it.

I backed up out of the room and into the darkness. Into the gloom so I couldn't see the blood on my hands and body. I took one last look at the ripped up body of the night guard before I sulked my way down the hall and into the Prize Corner.

The music box had long since ended its tune, and the room was masked in ominous silence. And I wanted it that way for once. I wanted to isolate myself and make up for my horrible deed. I had slaughtered the night guard in cold blood. I had taken a life. Nothing in the world could ever replace a life. Nothing.

I promised myself I would never be like the others. I promised to never end a life by my hands. And now those promises were broken, and I was left alone with my angst. Crouching down in front of my box, I buried my face in my hands. Then I cried.

I cried for the night guard. I cried for the children. I cried for the humans that had lived in fear of me. And I cried for everyone who had ever been hurt by the animatronics of this place.

I cried all my grief away until I was left a weeping and trembling mess on the floor. I hugged my knees close and laid for a long while, until a harsh clanking startled me to sit up.

In the doorway of the Prize Corner stood a mass of jumbled parts accompanied by a single blue glow.

"Marionette?" A familiar voice whispered. I squinted my exhausted eyes through the darkness and recognized the shape as Mangle. She had left the Kid's Cove to visit _me?_

"Y-y-ye-e-s?" I responded through sobs. I had no room in my heart to be afraid of her now. After all, we were alike now. There was no reason to be frightened. The destroyed white fox stepped forward into my room and seated herself on the floor in front of me.

"I...I'm really sorry, Marionette. About the child. I...lost my temper. I couldn't help it. And...I heard about...what happened. Toy Bonnie told me." Mangle said, looking down at me with a sad expression.

"I'm a monster..." I whimpered, keeping my eyes covered. I had forgotten all about the child. There was a chance he would survive...but what I did...the night guard would never come back. Mangle shook her head, gently grasped my wrists and pulled my hands away from my face.

"No, you're not. It wasn't your fault. You got too mad to hold it back. We all do that at some point in our lives." Mangle said. I took my wrists away from her and turned my head to look away.

"None of the other toys have," I sniffled, not wanting to look at her. "I didn't want to ever do something like this..."

Mangle shook her head again and lightly caressed my cheek with her hand. I flinched away from her touch immediately. I was still unsure about whether I could trust her.

"It'll be alright, Marionette. After all, he's safe now. He's safe from the classics. He's in a better place." Mangle said in a quiet tone. I stared at her, thinking about what she just said. That was true, he is safe from what they would do. But it still doesn't excuse what I did. I tore his throat and eyes out. He did not die in the most painless way possible. But then again, the originals had the potential to do much worse.

Yes. She was right. I knew she was.

"Are...are you sure?" I asked quietly. I mentally kicked myself. Could I ever just make it through a conversation without asking questions that I already knew the answer to? I feel so brainless.

Mangle nodded once, reaching a hand up to my face again. This time I did not move as her hand gently stroked my cheek. I have never been touched in such a way before, and it actually felt..._good_. A friendly touch has forever been unknown to me. But Mangle...could I trust her? She hurt someone...but so did I. She lost her temper...but so did I.

What made us so different? Nothing. There was nothing that could make us any more different from each other. Earlier this night, she was a threat. Now, she is a friend. But the way she touched my face...it made me feel so much better...

"Do you feel better? Marionette?" Mangle asked me, watching me with a thoughtful expression. I looked up at her, then felt my smile return.

"Y-yes. I...do." I responded. Mangle returned my smile with a toothy grin of her own.

"I'm glad." She said, standing up and starting to walk out. I immediately felt the warmth that came from her touch leave my body as she started to leave. I wanted her to stay.

"M-Mangle? Would you m-mind staying here with me? Until dawn?" I called after her speedily. Embarrassment shot through me right away. I sounded like a complete fool. At least..._I_ thought I sounded stupid. I knew not what Mangle thought of me, and I prepared for the worst. To my relief, Mangle looked back at me with a smile.

"I was hoping you'd say that." She whispered, walking backwards and sitting beside me with a loud squeak of metal. I sighed, pulling my knees close. It was comforting to be in the Prize Corner with a friend. Even more so than hiding in my box with the music box playing. It felt...safer. Warmer. And despite her violent outburst, Mangle was good company to have.

But then I felt guilty. I was a coward. She hurt a child, and I immediately fled without hearing her part of the story. The child could have been going over her limit. The child could have been hurting her cruelly. The child could have been _killing her_. Mangle's actions could have been out of self-defense.

Yet I still fled. I fled like a coward. I was ready to leave her behind. I was ready to forget all about her. But when I hurt someone. No. Not hurt. When I killed someone, Mangle came back to try and comfort me. Rather than forgetting about me and never coming to see me again, she came to comfort me!

That's so much more than what I would have done. I feel so ashamed. I should just go tell Mangle she doesn't deserve to be friends with a coward like me. I'm not a true friend. I'm not.

I would tell her to get a better friend. I would tell her that I'm not worth her time. I would tell her that I'm a coward. When I looked back at her, she was watching me with a demonstrative expression. It made me feel...odd. Like there were bugs crawling under my fabric skin. Why was she looking at me like this?

"Er...Mangle...? Wh-why are you-"

"Marionette, how do you feel about me?" Mangle interrupted me, not taking her blue gaze out of mine. I was rather taken aback by this question, but I wouldn't sit here with my mouth hanging open.

"Well, I must say that I was...rather afraid of you...after you bit that child. But now...since you're here...I see you as a valuable...friend?" I chose my words carefully to avoid offending her.

Mangle smiled.

"Anything else?" She asked. Was there anything else? Let's see...no. Nothing else out of the ordinary. What a peculiar question. Was she implying other feelings for _me?_

I shook my head to answer no.

"Well. As for me, I'd like to say that I think you're sort of cute. And you're real nice. And...everything about you is just charming." Mangle complimented me, tilting her head to the side and rattling her eye in her metal skull. I felt my eyes widen. I immediately looked down at myself.

She thinks I'm _cute?! Really?!_ Well...alright. I suppose...that...I..._goodness gracious!_

"You...you do?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Yeah. Why? You never heard a compliment before?" Mangle said, smiling as her endoskeleton head clicked it's metal teeth together.

"No!" I exclaimed truthfully, shaking my head rapidly. Mangle chuckled, her laugh sounding like an old radio's static feed.

"Well, I'm real sorry, then. Your first compliment was really heavy, wasn't it?" She smiled at me. Before I could open my mouth to speak again, the six 'o clock jingle played in the nearby security office. The night was over.

"Oh. Look at that. Nights over, huh? Now, here's a serious question. Do you want me to visit you tomorrow night?" Mangle asked me as she stood up, her metal parts squeaking noisily. I mulled this over for a bit, making sure to consider her compliments before I answered.

"Yes. Yes, I would like that very much." I answered. Mangle made a quiet, amused sound, then snatched me by the neck and nuzzled me on the cheek with her snout. When she dropped me back on the floor, I was too caught up with my own surprise to see her leave.

Did she just...just...

Wow...


	7. To Make Your Acquaintence

I never realized how lonely the place got when no one was around. The sun rose, just as it always did, but it seemed as if the rest of the world was locked in time. The morning passed into the day, and not a single soul came in or out of the pizzeria, leaving the restaurant locked in stillness.

It was to be expected. I knew they would close the place down for a day while they worked out yesterday's...incidents. Hopefully, things will return to normal tomorrow. There were countless bad possibilities, but for the good of my sanity, I ignored them and slumbered peacefully. Sleeping during the day rather than in the night was an irregular change, but I had not been sleeping the past few nights, and it was refreshing to finally doze my worries away.

When I awoke, the time was somewhere in the evening, but not quite the night. To be more precise, it was dusk. The sun was slowly making its way down the sky behind the hills at the moment.

There isn't a window in the Prize Corner, so I never get to watch the event take place. But I could sense it. I could sense the temperature dropping as the sun's light dipped out of sight, enveloping the world in darkness. It was somewhat frightening, actually. Occasionally I found myself worrying the sun wouldn't come up again, leaving the world dark forever. Leaving the animatronics to roam. _Forever_.

No. I can't bear to think about this right now. Tonight was not the best night to be worrying over petty things such as that. Mangle would be coming back, and I had to be in my best set of moods. Depression and anxiety aren't on my list.

I waited a few moments before I nodded myself fully awake. Night had finally fallen.

I reached my hand up to the lid and pressed it open. The hinges were soundless as the outside darkness was released into my shelter. Reaching my hands up to the lip of the box, I slinked my way out onto the checkered floor, hoping to make as little noise as possible. I'm actually quite impressed with myself. Not a single shuffle. I never knew I could be so quiet.

I seated myself on the floor in front of my box and waited patiently for my new friend to arrive. When I heard the clanking in the hallway, I immediately felt a grin crease onto my face. I had never been so happy before, but it felt nice to finally be able to relax around one of the other animatronics.

"I'm back, Marionette." Mangle's voice whispered, the blue glow her eye gave off hovering in the doorway.

"I'm so glad you came back. I greatly appreciate it." I said, bowing my head slightly. Then I heard another voice from somewhere next to me.

"Hiya, mister! What's your name?" A very high-pitched voice said. I instinctively jumped to my feet and scrambled into the farthest corner of the room away from the voice. Whose voice was that?! It...it sounded so...squeaky! No, no. Not squeaky. Young! It sounded so young!

"Oh, come on, Marionette. Relax. It's just Balloon Boy." Mangle said, trying to hide a laugh even though I could sense it. She couldn't hide laughter from me so easily. I looked around the room, trying to find the glowing eyes of the other animatronic but finding none. Then I heard breathing in my left ear. Slowly glancing to my left, I saw two big, blue eyes that were ominously close to my face.

"Aah!" I let out a yelp, then fell backwards onto my back. A childish laugh followed my startled outburst.

"Ha! I got you! That was so funny! You were all like _what?_ And I was all like this, and then you were all like _eeeeeek!_" The voice cracked up into an uncontrollable giggle. I glanced at Mangle, who stood in the doorway grinning at me.

"Who-?" I was too confused to spit out any words besides the one question I already knew the answer to. It was obvious that the good-spirited animatronic that had followed Mangle into my Prize Corner was Balloon Boy, but I knew not why he was here.

"My. Name. Is. Balloon. Boy. Do. You. Under. Stand?" Balloon Boy spoke to me as if I was stupid. I frowned, making sure Mangle saw. The white fox simply shook her head smiling.

"Oh, give him a break, Marionette. He doesn't know any better. I thought you could use some new friends, so I brought him down here." She said, looking between us and smiling. I sighed, sitting up and rubbing my forehead. This animatronic was making my head hurt. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't be agreeable.

I looked up at the balloon vendor and returned his goofy grin with a pleasant smile of my own.

"Well, hello there, Balloon Boy. My name is Marionette." I introduced myself. Balloon Boy made a face.

"Huh. My name sounds weird when _you_ say it. How 'bout you just call me BB, kay?" Balloon Boy said, twisting his sign around in his hand. I glanced at Mangle, who nodded once, then looked back at the balloon vendor.

"Er...certainly. I'm happy to make your acquaintance, BB." I said, holding my hand out to him for a handshake. Balloon Boy looked down at my hand, then made a disgusted face.

"Eew, your hand is weird! Why do you have fingers like that?" Balloon Boy said, pointing at my hand with his sign. I drew my hand back to examine it. There was nothing wrong with my hand...was there?

"BB! Be decent, would'ja?" Mangle snapped, clouting the balloon vendor in the back of the head with one of her protruding endoskeleton crossbeams. Balloon Boy whined, plopping himself down on the floor and rubbing the back of his head with his sign.

"S-sorry about that. He doesn't get good company very often. He hasn't learned proper manners yet: one of the reasons I brought him to you." Mangle said, sitting beside me.

"I noticed," I sighed, shaking my head. "he certainly needs lessons in decency. However, I'm not sure if I could take on that much stress."

"I see what you mean." Mangle snickered, glancing over at Balloon Boy, who was fiddling with his sign, completely oblivious to their conversation.

"How was your day? A nice break from being torn up, I suppose?" I decided to break away from the previous subject. Mangle let out a idyllic sigh.

"Oh, it was _wonderful_. I actually got some rest for once in a _looong_ time." She said. I smiled.

"That does sound nice. I'm very happy for you." I said, putting my hands in my lap. Mangle grinned at me, then nuzzled my left cheek.

"You're very good company, you know?" Mangle sighed happily, her white tail brushing my back as it wagged back and forth. I glanced at her quickly, then immediately looked away.

"Thank you, Mangle. It means a lot to me." I said quietly, avoiding eye contact. I was too embarrassed to look at her. Mangle nuzzled me again, this time putting her good arm around me and cuddling up to me. I gasped, looking down at her. She let out a relaxed sigh.

"You're a good friend." Mangle whispered, her ears perked. I smiled down at her. It meant a lot to hear someone say I was their friend. I put one hand on her back and embraced her in return. I was comforting to be caught in a hug, and it was actually rather unusual. I didn't think any of the other animatronics liked me. But now I had Mangle. A true friend. Maybe something even more.

"Hey! Hey, you guys! You should totally kiss!" Balloon Boy exclaimed, grinning mischievously. Both of us shot him a scowl.

_Such an annoying child._


	8. BB's Tour of Friendship

"Marionette! Psst! Marionette! Wake up!" A voice whispered, waking me from my sleep. I poked my head out of my box, only to see Balloon Boy standing in the doorway of the Prize Corner, every so often glancing behind him. I rubbed my eyes groggily and searched about for the clock. It couldn't be tomorrow night already, could it?

"Wh-what time is it?" I asked, blinking.

"Not important. But I can tell you this, we're the only two animatronics active right now! So come on, let's go on an adventure!" Balloon Boy giggled, practically bouncing with excitement. I tilted my head.

"Won't we get ourselves into trouble?" I asked nervously. Balloon Boy shook his head.

"Naw, the place is closed today. Now come on! Let's go take a walk!" Balloon Boy said, bounding out the door. I sighed, rubbing my eyes one last time before following after him. When I caught up with him, he was standing in front of a small, narrow passageway.

"See this? It's called the _tube of wonder!_ You crawl through it, and sometimes you get to see a thingy with a red laser on it blink a light right in your face, then you get to go back or keep going. If you make it to the end, the prize is some more light in your face, then you see Freddy! It's super cool, but then you go back." Balloon Boy explained the whole thing to me, and it was like hearing Einstein's theory of relativity in under thirty seconds.

"Oh, and sometimes, the light won't come on at all, so you get in there and there's a person standing in there. It's the weirdest thing, but I still end up seeing Freddy after a few seconds. So it's okay." Balloon Boy grinned, before crouching into the crawl space. Then I caught on. This was one of the vents leading into the security office. Did he think harassing the night guard was a game?

"Oh, brother." I sighed out loud.

"_Oh, brother,_" Balloon Boy parroted. "Oh, maybe you should shove it up yours and quit being a stick in the mud! It's supposed to be fun!" He groaned as he made his way down the air vent. I shook my head, trying to understand his insult. Shove it up yours? I've never heard that before. What could it mean?

Dismissing the taunt without any offense, I crawled down the vent, following behind the balloon vendor.

"Oh boy, oh boy. We're here! We won the game! WOOOOO!" Balloon Boy cheered loudly as he reached the end of the vent. I winced at the sound. Hopefully he wouldn't wake any other animatronics.

"Alright, what do we do now, BB?" I asked, rising to my full height in the security office. I kept my gaze away from the farthest corner of the room, not wanting to see what was left of the night guard. I had already done my crying for him, and I didn't want to do any more. Instead, I looked back at Balloon Boy, who had a goofy grin stuck on his face.

"Well, what we do is-" He cut himself off as soon as he turned his head around. "Wh-wh-WHAT?! WHERE'S FREDDY?!" He screamed, obviously thrown off by the absence of the night guard.

"Hush! We don't want to wake up the others!" I instinctively tried to quiet the aghast balloon vendor down.

"THIS IS STUPID! HE'S NOT HERE!" Balloon Boy ignored my warning and continued to rant with a much louder volume. "DANG IT! YA KNOW, WHY CAN'T I EVER DO ANYTHING COOL FOR MY FRIENDS WITHOUT HAVING EVERYONE MESS IT UP! STUPID STUPID _STUPID!_" Balloon Boy growled, kicking a leg of the table, causing the whole thing to shudder. I stopped to think about his ranting. _Friend?_ He saw me as a _friend?_ My spirits rose, but immediately fell as soon as the sound of sorrow replaced that of rage.

In the time it took me to realize that I was something to the short animatronic, the balloon vendor had plopped down on the floor and began to sob.

"Oh, er, BB? Are you...quite alright?" I asked, stepping forward so I was standing over the huddled up figure.

"NO!" He snapped, looking up at me, then shoving his face back into his knees. I tilted my head. I had to say _something_. I mean, sure the reason why he was sad was rather ridiculous, but he was trying to do something nice for me, and if I said nothing, I'd come off as a major idiot. _Or a bad friend at the least._

"Er...BB? For what it's worth, I still had fun in your...what was it called...tube of wonder?" I stumbled on my words. And in the end, I _still_ managed to come off as a major idiot. I mentally kicked myself, preparing for the consequences of my obtuse actions. Instead, Balloon Boy suddenly leaped from the floor and locked me into a tight embrace.

"Thanks so much, Marionette." He sniffled into my skinny body. I glanced down at him, thrown off guard by his sudden act of kindness.

"Oh, er...of course." I stammered. Balloon Boy let go, then took a step backwards, grinning the same as always.

"Alrighty. That was stop one, we've still got a bunch more. Follow me!" Balloon Boy exclaimed, waddling out the door. I smiled, then followed. After just a few moments of walking down the hallway, I lost track of where Balloon Boy had gone, and all that was in front of me was empty darkness.

"Oh dear. Um...BB?" I called out into the dark hallway.

"Yeah, Marrie?" Balloon Boy teasingly nicknamed me. I stopped to consider the name, then instinctively tilted my head out of confusion.

"E-excuse me?" I asked. An din of childlike giggles arose.

"That's a funny nickname. I'm gonna call you that from now on. Hey, where'd ya go?" Balloon Boy finally realized that I had fallen behind.

"Oh, I'm just behind you, I think. May I ask, where are we going?" I finally managed to keep my tone steady, despite the rising fear of something undesirable jumping out at me.

"The Show Stage, dummy! I wanna go visit the Toys!" Balloon Boy giggled mischievously. I felt the need to object, but for some reason, I could not. He must have sounded too excited for me to go and ruin his fun. Just one of my entertainer instincts, I suppose.

When we finally reached the Show Stage, it was rather lit up. Well, lit up enough to see the sentient mascots of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza standing on the stage with their casual, friendly stares. I stalled behind the balloon vendor in the doorway to examine the area before making my way inside. Just to be safe. Balloon Boy on the other hand, bounded right up on the stage in front of Toy Freddy, waving his hands in the air.

"Hey! Hey you guys! Check it out!" Balloon Boy exclaimed, starting to jump about and dance. "I can moOoOoOoOove!" He teased. I immediately saw what was wrong with his actions.

"BB! No! No, no, no! Stop, stop everything you're doing!" I scolded, darting inside the room without even thinking about it.

"_Awwwwwww! Whyyyyyyyy!?_" Balloon Boy whined. I shook my head, glancing between the Toy animatronics and Balloon Boy several times.

"Just because they're not active doesn't mean you get to make fun of them for it. It's not _their_ fault they're programmed this way!" I chided. Balloon Boy pouted.

"Marrie, you just blew it." He said in a disappointed tone. I sighed, immediately realizing that I could have potentially damaged our friendship.

"Look, all I'm trying to say is that we should have fun in other ways besides making others feel like they're less important than someone else. Or in other words, don't bully. Alright?" I explained, kneeling so I could be at eye level with the balloon vendor. Balloon Boy sniffled, then nodded.

"Okay." He sighed, sulking slightly. I nodded once with approval.

"Good. Now, do you have something you want to say to these animatronics?" It was a request rather than a question, and I made sure my point was heard by gently pushing the balloon vendor forward a few inches.

"I am _sorry_." Balloon Boy said, making the apology an overexaggerated amount of sincerity. I smiled, patting him on the back.

"I'm really proud of you. Now, what do you want us to do now? Lead the way." I pointed towards the exit. Balloon Boy's smile returned.

"Oh man, I gotta show you _my_ room! It's so cool! There's a carousel and a bunch of balloons and all kinds of stuff! C'mon, slow poke!" Balloon Boy leapt into action, running out the door. As I left to follow him, I could have sworn I heard a raspy voice whisper in a quiet tone;

"Thank you."


	9. Your Penalty

"Wasn't that just the best day ever? I sure had fun! Didn't you have fun! It was great!" Balloon Boy chattered the whole time it took us to return to the Prize Corner. We have visited every room in the restaurant, excluding the Parts and Service room, and played some peculiar, child's game in each. Balloon Boy insisted we played Tag, Hide and Seek, and Red Light Green Light in the party rooms in a random pattern. It was a completely different experience for me, considering I had no idea why the games were what they were. There was no logic or philosophy to any of them! Luckily for me, Balloon Boy didn't get too upset when I completely failed to grasp the rules of the games.

We visited Balloon Boy's room as part of the trip, and of course he insisted I ride the carousel, despite being much too tall for the small ride. I fell off at least four times and was clobbered by the other rides as they passed by. It didn't hurt, but Balloon Boy was sorry regardless. He gave me a large bunch of balloons as a gift.

"So, yeah. It's pretty great here. Even during the day. It used to get kinda lonely 'round here, but now I got you! And we can play all the time!" Balloon Boy giggled as he walked into the Prize Corner and plopped down on the floor. I nearly got caught in the doorway on account of the massive bunch of balloons I had trailing me.

"Well, that was certainly a lot of fun, BB." I complimented, sitting down beside him and rubbing my eyes. I wasn't lying about the enjoyment of the experience, but it certainly did drain a lot out of me.

"Well, now. Looks like you two are getting along nicely." Mangle's voice called in as she approached from the hallway.

Nighttime already? I never realized how quickly time could pass when you are with friends.

"Sure are! We played all day long!" Balloon Boy exclaimed. Mangle chuckled.

"Mind if I steal him for a minute?" She asked. I gave her a puzzled look. Steal? As in theft? Balloon Boy pouted.

"_Fiiiiiiiine._" He groaned, pulling the balloons down lower so he could bat at them with his sign. Mangle reached out her one good hand to me, and beckoned with her second head. I glanced at Balloon Boy, who smiled at me, then pushed me up onto my feet.

I nervously slipped my hand into Mangle's, and she pulled me into the farthest corner of the room.

"So, did you have fun today with your new friend?" She asked, seating herself on the floor. I sat beside her.

"Yes, of course I did. We visited everywhere in the entire building." I explained, folding my hands in my lap. Mangle exhaled, her breathing sounding like radio static.

"I'm glad you have a new friend, Marionette. You could sure use some more, but there isn't too many other animatronics in the place who are...agreeable." She chose her words carefully.

"Oh, it's alright. Just as long as I have you." The words slipped out of my mouth, causing my face to heat up with embarrassment. Mangle's eye lit up and her ears perked. "Oh...I...I...er..." I began tripping over my words. Mangle simply shook her head laughing before she pressed the tip of her mouth into mine. My fingers curled at the sensation.

_What was going on?! What was she doing?! I-I...I can't even-! It's so...nice. But it doesn't feel normal!_ I argued with myself.

Mangle released me, then nuzzled my face, her tail brushing my hands affectionately.

"Mangle? What was that?" I asked, completely dumbfounded by her sudden act of affection.

"It's called a kiss. Humans do it sometimes, but I wanted to see what it was like." Mangle whispered. I tilted my head.

"A kiss-?" I was interrupted by furious shouting coming from where I had left Balloon Boy.

"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN! YOU MEANIES!" The balloon vendor shouted. I was the first to stand, rushing across my room to see what was the matter. When I returned to the front of the room, I saw all of the old animatronics standing around Bonnie, who had the balloon vendor held in the air by his sign.

"BB! You-you brutes! Put him down!" I commanded, not feeling afraid of them for the first time ever. All the animatronics turned their heads towards me. Their glowing eyes were full of hatred.

"There's the puppet. Get 'em, Foxy." Freddy commanded. The pirate fox moved too quick for me to escape from, and his hook immediately snagged onto my back.

"Arr, now we've got ye." Foxy snarled in my ear. I growled, thrashing my arms about in the air.

"Put us down this instant!" I commanded, not taking my eyes off Balloon Boy, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

"N-n-n-n-no ca-an-n-n do, puppet-t-t. You-u-u bro-o-oke the rule-e-es and thi-s i-is your-r punishme-e-e-ent!" Chica hissed.

"Rules!? We never broke any rules!" I retorted, glaring straight into the wide pink eyes of the chicken. The metal in her beak shuddered with rage.

"No one's allowed to move during the day." Foxy growled.

"You and your pot-bellied little friend over here broke that rule today with your little expedition. Did you really think you'd get away with it?" Freddy glowered. I clenched my fists, ignoring the pain in my back. I knew something was fishy.

"Put them down, you rot-bots!" Mangle snarled, suddenly standing a few inches away from the mob of evil robots. Her teeth were bared and her one good hand was clenched into a fist. All the animatronics looked towards her with a looked that lacked any kind of surprise or fear.

"Chica, take care of that..._thing._" Freddy insulted, waving a hand at her. Chica acted immediately, rushing towards the destroyed Foxy 2.0 and lashing her with the cords that dangled from where her arms used to be. Mangle took the hit, stumbling backwards while Chica shoved her down and stomped her foot down on her body, causing the horrible sound of scraping metal to sound out into the room. Mangle let out a static cry of pain.

"Mangle!" I exclaimed, feeling my body go limp.

"Aww, poor lass." Foxy taunted, wrapping his claws around my neck. Freddy let out a bellowing laugh.

"Oh, yes. Poor, poor, little bucket of bolts." He mocked around his horrible laughs. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Mangle as she squirmed about under Chica's foot, her exposed metal parts bending under the older animatronic's weight. Behind me, Bonnie still held the hysterical Balloon Boy high in the air, his faceless glare watching me like a hawk. I let my body go limp, hanging my head with great shame. They had won.

But suddenly, a flash of brown walloped Freddy in the side of the face, causing him to fall to his knees. Bonnie immediately dropped Balloon Boy to aid Freddy, but a flash of bright blue did the same to him, knocking the faceless purple bunny backwards. My eyes flashed everywhere, desperately trying to pinpoint what had temporarily crippled the old animatronics.

"What be goin' on here?!" Foxy exclaimed, just as aghast as I was. The same thing happened to him a moment later with a flash of vibrant yellow. The pirate fox let out a surprised yelp, then I felt his grip fall away, causing me to join Balloon Boy on the floor. There was a small clatter, then a horrible shriek, then a loud crash as Chica fell to the floor to join the others. _Someone was attacking them! No, _multiple_ someones! What's going on here?! _

I stood up and backed away as quickly as I could, making sure not to accidently wander back into the grasp of one of the fallen animatronics. I backed away towards Mangle, not taking my eyes off the killer robots until I collided with something metal standing behind me. Whirling around, I saw the last animatronic I was expecting.

Standing in front of me with a happy smile was none other than Toy Freddy.


	10. Never Alone

I let out a yelp, jumping back away from him, only to collide with another metal body. I snapped my gaze on the one behind me, only to see Toy Bonnie. I let out another cry of fear, trying to get away, but having my only escape be blocked by Toy Chica.

"L-let me go!" I managed to say, my hands trembling. A hand snapped over my mouth and neck, yanking me into a tight grip against a metal body.

"Shh. It's okay. You're safe now." A soothing female voice whispered in my ear before the grip gently fell away. I glanced around the three of them, and found their expressions weren't what I was expecting. The three of them didn't have a malicious look on their faces like the old ones did constantly, instead, it was a happy look. A _welcoming_ look.

"Wh-what's the meaning of this?" I rubbed my hands nervously. Toy Freddy stepped forward and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You have a kind heart, Marionette," He said in a baritone voice. "this is something I can easily take a liking to."

"I...don't understand..." I whispered, tilting my head. Freddy shook his head, chuckling quietly.

"You helped us. You talked like you cared about us. This has...never happened to us before." Toy Bonnie spoke quietly, his emerald green eyes gleaming brightly. I perked up, understanding what they were telling me.

"O-oh, you mean...when I came with BB..." I said quietly, letting a smile hush onto my face. Toy Freddy nodded once.

"It meant a lot to us, and we all made a decision to come and help you deal with these four." Toy Freddy glanced briefly at Toy Chica, who was helping Mangle and Balloon Boy back onto their feet, her face a beakless smile.

"They've been nothing but trouble for us, too." Toy Chica said, walking to join the other two toys. I felt ready to cry tears of joy. I have never known such a warmth. To know they were all willing to be friends with someone like me...it made my spirits soar. I let my face spread into a full smile, and it felt good to finally do so.

"I...don't know what to say..." I whispered, looking up at the three toy animatronics standing around me.

"Then don't say anything! We toys gotta stick together, right?" Toy Bonnie exclaimed, jumping around to face the old animatronics, who were slowly recovering from their surprise attack. I turned with them, readying myself to face my worst fears. Beside me, I heard Mangle's metallic shuffling as she stood beside me.

"Thanks for sticking up for me." Her voice was barely a whisper. I sent her a small smile, but quickly returned my gaze to the withered animatronics standing before me. Foxy, Freddy, Bonnie and Chica were all on their feet, their fists clenched and their cold, glowing eyes full of hatred and anger as they all locked on me.

The overpowering loathing that rose in the air squeezed the air out of my throat and made me feel ready to collapse. My four worst antagonists...all standing before me with their claws curled, wanting to rip the fabric away from my body. Foxy's head twitched violently again and again, the twisted metal in Chica's beak shuddered with wrath, Freddy opened and closed his mouth eerily, and Bonnie simply let a low, electronic drone escape into the air.

Under normal circumstances, I would have long since gave way to my fear. But for some reason, I felt different around my enemies. I was scared, that was for certain, but something in my heart wasn't letting me back down. Perhaps it was the feeling I was feeling deep inside. Perhaps it was my memories. Those warm, happy memories of Mangle and of Balloon Boy...they were turning me into something besides a lonely, afraid, and timid doll living in the Prize Corner. They were filling the emptiness in my heart. They were making me feel less alone.

No.

That's where I'm wrong.

I was never alone.

"Alright, Toys, let's get these bullies back into their closet!" Toy Bonnie exclaimed, raising a fist in the air, snapping me back into the moment. All the animatronics standing beside me let out a short cry as they rushed forward, their hands reaching out at the withered animatronics. The older models let out a roar of frenzy as they dashed towards us, their claws reaching hungrily for the shiny metal bodies of the Toys.

Bonnie let out a buzz of discordant static, slashing his claw at Toy Bonnie's body, every so often landing a hit and letting a scratch follow the sharp point. The blue bunny retaliated with a punch that sent the faceless animatronic yowling backwards, scratching his hand at the newly created dent on his head. Toy Freddy grappled with withered Freddy, the two locked in a deadly tussle. Toy Chica was strategically racing around withered Chica, using her speed and mobility to evade every single whiplash the broken chicken threw her way.

I watched the pandemonium unfold, watching for weaknesses in one of the old animatronic's attacks. It was required that I helped, too. I noticed immediately that Chica was distracted with Toy Chica, leaving her back exposed. I could land a hit, trip her, and give the toy an opening. I took a single step forward to begin my assault, but then felt the all-too-familiar tug of Foxy's hook on my back. This time, however, he was much more ruthless while he jerked me back.

I let out a scream of pain. My fabric was actually ripping at the force of his hook.

"You be the first to die, puppet." Foxy spat out the word like poison while his claw brushed my throat, ready to tear the fabric open and shut me down forever.

"TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!" Mangle's voice suddenly screamed as I felt Foxy topple over behind me. I fell to the ground, but immediately shot to my feet, turning to face Foxy as Mangle freed me. The two foxes were fiercely glaring at each other, deep growls escaping the backs of their throats. Mangle was the first to attack, hurling herself forward at the pirate fox, clawing at his face with her good hand. Foxy let out a slew of incomprehensible insults as he took each of the hits, his eyes screwed shut against the blows.

Balloon Boy approached from behind, suddenly jumping on Foxy's back and beginning to hit him in the face with his sign.

"Take that and that, you meanie! Your hook is stupid! Pirates are _STUPID!_" Balloon Boy exclaimed, barely keeping himself on the thrashing fox's back.

And I, without even thinking about it, threw myself at the fox, digging my own claws into his fur and using another hand to yank on his ears. Foxy let out howls of pain as I did, and it made me feel accomplished. I was successfully facing my fears.

Beside me, Mangle snapped her teeth at Foxy's ears, biting deep into the metal and fur, causing Foxy to let out a long howl of ache. After this, he immediately started thrashing, as if trying to get away. I immediately released my grip, and Mangle and Balloon Boy did the same. When we stepped away from the pirate fox, he took one last terrified look at us before he turned around and rushed out the door. A surge of courage rose in my heart.

Turning around, I saw the toys still fighting with the withers. Old Bonnie's movements were slow and groggy, and Old Chica appeared to have difficulty moving all together. Freddy was the only one fighting with every last bit of determination. I let myself rush forward onto Bonnie's back, tugging at his ears and letting my claws dig into the cords and old components of his face. The purple bunny let out a confused moan before he threw me off, then rushed out the door without taking a second glance. Chica immediately followed, her pink eyes wide with surprise and fear.

Freddy glanced backwards once, then let a startled look appear on his face.

"Cowards!" His voice boomed as he threw Toy Freddy off himself into the wall, his fist brought back for a devastating punch. Toy Freddy was dazed, and I knew for sure he wouldn't be able to move in time. I dashed forward out of pure instinct, wrapping my fingers around withered Freddy's fist and swinging him around into the shelves. The animatronic let out a loud grunt as the shelves fell onto him, showering him in prizes and toys.

"It's over, Freddy." I panted, not realizing my own strength. The animatronic's blue eyes locked into mine, filling my soul with his hatred.

"It will never be over, puppet. You're alone here. All of you are. You'll never know the joy of creation like we did. None of you are real, all just empty shells." Freddy spat, his eye twitching a few times. I tilted my head at him, narrowing my eyes into the most intimidating glare I could muster.

"That's where we were both wrong. We're never alone." I made sure to glance at the toys standing behind me as I said the words. Freddy clenched his fists, slowly rising to his full height and taking a step towards me.

"I'll kill you." He snarled, getting ominously close to my face. I held my ground, and for the first time ever, I shot him a defiant stare.

"I'm not scared of you, Freddy. Never again." I retorted, bringing my claws up where he could see them and stepping forward. At first, I was afraid I would run into his metal body, but to my surprise, the animatronic stumbled back a step as I did, proving my success. A surge of confidence arose inside me, and I felt happier than ever to say the following words.

"I never want to see you here again. Stay in your closet, where you belong."

Freddy stumbled back another step before he shot a glare to each of the toys, then rushed out the door. As he left, I let my body relax. An uproar of cheering arose from the animatronics behind me. I turned to face them, and saw all their eyes were on me.

"You did it, Marrie!" Toy Bonnie exclaimed, his ears perked up.

"Great job!" Toy Chica commented, smiling excitedly.

"Yes...I'm so...glad it's over..." I sighed, letting my shoulders droop with exhaustion. Mangle stepped forward, pressing her snout gently to my cheek. I could barely believe any of that just happened.

I, of all animatronics, faced the worst creatures in our world and won, making new friends in the process. Just a few nights ago, I knew myself as nothing more than a forlorn animatronic. As that lonely puppet that lives in the Prize Corner. But now I could be something more. Something much more.

A new time was just beginning for me, and I was going to welcome it with open arms. There would be no tears, no isolation, and no anger. Only friendship, happiness and love.

Never alone.

Always together.

* * *

><p><em>Hey, everyone! Just one more chapter to go!<em>

_Thanks for reading and don't forget to tell me what you think! Thanks to everyone who reviewed this, it really means a lot to this Swedish weirdo to hear that you like this!_

_Thanks again!_

_~Stohne Rohse_


	11. The End

Friendship.

Happiness.

Love.

The only components you needed to live a good life.

At least, that's what I kept telling myself.

We had a good night, at least. Chatting and sharing stories of our lives, reminiscing our past lives and our current victory. I spent the night under the Toys' friendly gazes, and within Mangle's loving and protective embrace. It was the perfect night.

Alas, not everything lasts forever.

The next day, the restaurant's doors were opened, but no children came in.

No laughing.

No cheering.

No singing.

It was only the loud clatter of a truck outside, then small shuffle of bills between men, and the indifferent chatter of large men in white work suits.

They came to the Prize Corner, lifting me up out of my box without hesitation and taking me out of the room.

Down the hall, into the dining area, and out the door.

When he had brought me outside, six other men hurried after him, each carting out one of the other five animatronics I had found myself attached to.

Each of us were thrown into the truck, mixed in with bits of metal and parts.

With a single loud clang, the truck roared to life.

I kept close to my friends the entire way.

I held Mangle's hand as she cried harder than she had ever done in her life. I kept my arms around Balloon Boy as he worried quietly over where we were headed. I gave the Toys friendly smiles as they simply sat in dead silence. And all the while, not one of us said a word.

When we reached the scrapyard, the doors on the truck were once again open, letting sunlight back onto our bodies. And even though this situation was among one of the most frightening, I wasn't shivering. I had decided to be brave.

For once I didn't want to cry.

For once I didn't want to hide.

For once I wasn't afraid.

And with that revelation, I made sure to stare directly into the sentient eyes of the workers without a single hesitation.

It was time to face my fear.

Toy Bonnie was the first to be taken from us, and his emerald green eyes were locked on me while he spent his time on the conveyor belt and down into the compactor. Next was Chica, who squeezed Mangle's hand in hers as a sign of comfort before she too accepted her fate. Freddy came next, patting me on the shoulder and smiling sadly. And like the other two before him, he fell down into the fires of the metal compactor, never to be seen again.

When the men came for Balloon Boy, he attached to me, his eyes darting frantically and his hands shaking. I grasped his hands in my own, and whispered to him that there would be a nice party down there with plenty of balloons and games to play. I told him it was safe, and that he shouldn't be afraid. They were lies, I know, but I didn't want him to feel the cold bite of fear. He didn't deserve it.

The balloon vendor stared a moment, considering my explanation before his grip loosened and two arms grasped his body and heaved him up onto the conveyor belt. As he grew farther and farther away from me, I made it a point to give him a smile. And with that, the balloon vendor returned my smile one last time, mouthing quietly,

"See you down there."

Mangle was the next target. She gripped me tightly, fearing I would disappear before it was her time. I hugged her back before brushing her cheek with my hand and giving her a smile. The fox sniffled, and gave me a smile in return. I could sense she was trying to be brave, but alas, the look disappeared as the workers approached.

As the men hauled her to the conveyor belt, she did not take her eye off me, and I sent her a smile the whole way.

I tried not to hear the awful grinding as she was destroyed more than she already was.

Now it was just me.

It was time.

And as the men lugged me up onto the belt, I felt strangely calm. Strangely happy. And I couldn't help but wonder why, even though the answer was so clear.

I wasn't alone.

In the short moments I had left, I thought about everything I had done with my life.

I remembered the children.

_Their laughter, their innocence, and their smiles._

I remembered the Prize Corner.

_The toys, the prizes, and the tickets._

But most importantly, I remembered the music box, whose tune got me through some hard times.

Thinking about its peaceful tune made me want to go to sleep early. That lighthearted melody...yes...I can hear it...

90 years without slumbering...

_"Old puppet there blew up at some kid..."_

His life seconds numbering...

_"You an all yer little friends 'ave costed us everything..."_

But it stopped short...

_"You're very good company, you know?"_

Never to go again...

_"You have a kind heart, Marionette..."_

When the old man died.

* * *

><p><em>And now your hearts are bleeding, aren't they? Era hjärtan blöder! XD<em>

_I came up with the saddest ending I could for this, and I must apologize to those who were wanting a sequel. Jag är ledsen, jag är verkligen._

_But do not fear! I'll be writing other FNaF fanfictions after this! I swear it!_

_Thanks to all you good folks who took time out of your lives to read my crazy ramblings and give such good feedback!_

_Tusen thanks to ASilverSoul, NextGenNinja, Purest of Hearts, King Domino III, dance till I drop, MitziCrossing, FoggyFriday, Estella Tweak, SwordBrush0, BlueFoxCub, IWasGoingSomewhereWithThis, Darklynnyarn,Coldjack007, Queen Elyon Brown, Thehaloguy322, OGCobra, My name does not matter, and all the guest users that reviewed this! It makes me so happy to know that you all liked this, and it gave me so much inspiration!_

_Thanks so much everyone!_

_~Stohne Rohse_


	12. NEWS ON A SEQUEL

This is a quick update for you guys. Since I know most of you are following this fiction, this is the easiest way for me to get a hold of you all.

Now, to those who were requesting a sequel, I'm considering it. ON ONE CONDITION:

When FNaF 3 comes out, if Marionette makes an appearance, I will write a sequel. Sound good? I'm hoping so!

Thank you~!


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